


Emerald Eyes

by eerieEllyllon



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe - Victorian, And here it is yay, F/M, I've been wanting to write a victorian era fic, There's a death mentioned at the start, but its only barely mentioned in the first bit, i promise there shall be fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-21
Updated: 2015-07-08
Packaged: 2018-03-08 13:07:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,906
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3210272
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eerieEllyllon/pseuds/eerieEllyllon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An old man died this morning, leaving his granddaughter all alone and without any known relatives to take her in. Not having enough money to pay taxes, she ended up in the streets without food or proper clothes for the coming winter.</p><p>She nearly died on the side of the road, but some passing nobles picked her up and brought her home. After they nursed her back to health, they offered her food, a home, and a family- but, there's a catch.</p><p>They want her to marry their son David.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. My Name is Jade

An old man died this morning, finally succumbing to the awful illness that left him unable to even get out of bed. It was a shame, he was a respected figure in town, but nobody was really surprised. At his age, he was going to kick the bucket at any given moment anyway.

The real problem here was his sole remaining family member. The others had all already died or had gone missing long ago, save for his young granddaughter, who was only seven years old at the time. They weren't sure what do with her, as there were no relatives to send her to. A few thought to leave her be, let her inherit her grandfather's possessions, but there was hardly anything to give her. Most of their belongings and furniture had been sold already to pay the taxes, and there are scarcely anything left of those funds for her to even keep the house long.

So, in the end, she ended up on the edge of a street with nothing but the clothes she wore, out in the bitter cold signalling the coming winter.

Jade was all alone.

All the girl could do is force her feet to keep moving, her arms trying to support her tired body by bracing against the walls of a dirty alleyway. She knew that if she stopped moving, she might never get up again, not with the snow starting to fall, not with the fever she felt getting worse.

She stumbled, barely catching herself and cursing her numb feet, and then once more without managing to stop her fall. Jade found herself laying on the ground, just beside the old road. There was nobody in sight, and though she looked for it, she could find any strength left in her body to pull her up again.

Slowly, her eyes drifted closed. Maybe, she'd get to be by Grandpa's side again after all.

\- - - - - - - -

Briefly, her eyes would open, and her hazy mind could barely process the situation. It was warm, and there we people. Someone would put a hand behind her back and lift her upper body so they could press a spoon with broth to her lips. After a few sips, she would cough, be laid back down, at it would fade to darkness until the process repeated itself.

Eventually, she did wake up with enough lucidity to take in her surroundings. The girl pushed herself up to a seated position, blinking at the unfamiliar setting in front of her. She was alone in a room, dimly lit only by the fireplace to her left. There were beds, all empty, taking up the majority of the space, but her small self had been put in a basket of blankets, likely so she'd be closer to the fire.

Pulling herself to her feet, her nose caught a pleasant scent in the air. It smelled of something delicious, and Jade came to realize her stomach felt painfully empty.  
Slowly, she lightly strode toward the door, pushed it open with shaking fingers, and set off in pursuit of something to eat.

This building, it was nice, and it seemed clean, and most importantly it was warm inside. It was different from any other she'd set foot in before, that was for sure. She heard people, laughing and talking about things she wasn't close enough to catch. Not sure what else to do, she followed their noise.

After a few minutes of searching and one wrong turn, she found the room they were in, as well as the food she had smelled earlier. There was a man and woman seated across a table, and two blond children on the other side, casually sharing a dinner finer than any Jade had seen before in her life. 

She wanted to join them, to cure herself of this lonely hunger, but she wasn't sure what should do, so she stayed where she was. Simply, she stared at them, peeking from the other side of the doorway, longingly watching.

Jade nearly jumped out of her skin when some one came from behind. "Ah, so you're awake now!" An old maid laughed, completely blowing her cover as she carried a bottle of wine into the dining room. The four seated at the table paused in their eating to look in her direction, save for the little boy who seemed far more interested in what was on his plate. "Come on now, these are the people who saved you, you ought a' thank them at least."

She didn't say anything, but after a minute of looking in, she finally walked toward them. Jade wasn't sure what to say, both because she wasn't sure how one was supposed to thank such fancy people, but also because she found the food equally distracting. 

"Oh, I'm glad you're awake now," The woman she assumed to be the mother beamed. "We weren't sure you were going to make it, so this is excellent news. How are you feeling, any better?"

"Uh, fine." She nodded awkwardly. 

"That's good to hear then!"

"Oh, um..."

"What is it, dear?" The woman's gaze turned from the girl, briefly watching the maid pour the red fluid into her glass.

"...Thank you."

There was a brief silence, where she was merely staring once more.

"You must be starving right now, huh?" The father said, with an odd smirk. "I highly doubt those sips of broth were filling in the slightest."

"...Yeah!" Jade perked up, nodding fiercely. 

"Alright, calm down," He laughed, "We'll feed you- but there's a small catch."

Jade felt her heart sink a little, and her smile was replaced with a small frown, "What is it?"

"Well, the brief moments where you were barely conscious," The mother said around a sip of her drink, "I couldn't help but notice you're lovely, green eyes."

"My eyes?"

"Yes, your eyes," She continued, as the maid offered some wine to the master, who promptly rejected the drink. "I wouldn't mind having those in the family. So I was wondering, if you would like to be part of us."

"You mean... I'll have a family again? And a home?" Her eyes went wide. These were things she thought were lost to her.

"Yes, if you agree." The lady gave a smirk and a wink, before concluding "So we'd like you to marry our son David."

There was a moment of silence as the girl processed this, and the child she presumed to be David choked on his food. As soon as he was able to swallow it down he had definitely snapped out of his indifference to the situation. "You never told me about this!" He accused, pointing at his mother. As he moved, the girl caught sight of some peculiar glasses on his face, which were tinted instead of clear, like church windows.

"David, you aren't supposed to yell at your mother." The man said evenly, and the boy fell silent. The sister, who'd yet to say a word, simply had her eyebrows raised and an entertained expression.

"Ehhh..." Jade sputtered, not sure what she was supposed to say. "But, I'm only seven summers!"

The mother started laughing there, and the father attempted to cut off a chuckle of his own, and Jade was left to wonder what was so funny until the lady spoke again. "Oh no, dearest, we mean for an engagement. You won't officially get married until you both come of age." 

"Oh..."

"Mother," David spoke up, straining his voice to keep it even, "I know people have arranged marriages, like you and Father, but aren't those for stuff like money? She doesn't have anything, you picked her up off the side of a road."

"Ah, but she does have something," She argued, "Healthy blood."

"She was sick and dying, so it can't be _that_ healthy."

"I don't mean it like that, silly. I heard that some people are saying that breeding within a set group of similar blood may lead to less than healthy offspring, so I'm sure someone at the bottom of the social cast is sure to be a good addition to the blood line. That, and I'd love to see those eyes in grandchildren."

The boy stared blankly at his mother, and the daughter scooted around on her chair so she could see Jade. "Mother likes science," She stated, as though that explained the whole situation.

"Well, we don't have power over you, Dear." The woman looked down at her glass, already half empty. "So you can choose for yourself now."

Jade was silent for a moment, trying to figure this all out. Marriage was not something she ever though about before, and she certainly did not know how she felt about it! Although, there was one pressing matter at hand.

"If I say yes, do I get to eat dinner with you?"

"Yes, you will." 

"Then... then I'll do it," Jade decided. She didn't want to go back to the cold streets, and she didn't want to starve anymore. Even if it meant marrying someone she didn't know, this was more important now.

David's face fell, right there, as his fate was sealed before his eyes. He knew there was no way out of this now, and his sister seemed to be enjoying the sight.  
"Well then, take a seat!" The woman declared, then turning to the maid who'd simply been watching this all take place. "Janey, please be a dear and go get a plate for... Oh, how rude of me, I don't know you're name yet."

"...Jade. My name is Jade."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eeeeee, I'm excited about this fanfiction. DaveJade is like my secret OTP, and I'm totally set for writing this any chance I get. This will have a good number of chapters, but right now I'm not sure how many! When I have a better idea on the number I will update it accordingly.
> 
> Also, I get that I still have that Pink and Orange Sky fic unfinished, but in all honesty, I'm not so thrilled with it? Mainly this is because I never really shipped Dirk and Roxy (It's only in this one so there's no holes), and I was writing it anyway because a friend of mine said they shipped it. I still plan on finishing that fanfic, I promise, but it's going to be on hold for a little while. (Please forgive me orz)


	2. The First Flowers

"Rose, I can really keep this dress? Are you sure?" Jade spun around on her heel a bit, watching how the fabric twirled around as she did so. With the soft, lavender fabric and the lacy frills, this dress made her feel like a princess.

"Yeah, I haven't been wearing that one anyway." The blonde, who had introduced herself as Rose, didn't mind giving up one dress at all. In fact, she did pity Jade some, and she supposed the least she could do is make sure she had something clean to wear. "Besides, it looks nice on you."

"Does it really?" Jade giggled.

"Yeah, I think it looks better on you than it does on me."

"What? But anything would prettier on you," Jade insisted. "You've got really pretty hair and great eyes and everything."

"You're pretty too, you know," Rose said simply, pulling some stockings out of a drawer to toss toward the other girl. "You're black hair is long and quite beautiful, and don't forget that your eyes caught Mother's interest."

"You really think so?" Jade said, catching the stockings midair.

"Yeah, I do," The blonde smiled. "And if you want to borrow any of my other dresses until you get your own, then you can help yourself."

"Are you sure that's okay too? You already gave me this one, and you're letting me sleep in your room."

"It's fine, don't worry about it, I don't mind," Rose laughed, then paused for a moment. "You said you were seven, right?"

"Mhm," Jade nodded, hopping on one foot as she attempted to put on the new stockings. 

"That makes you the same age as me and Dave, then. I hope we can be friends."

"Yeah, me too." Jade said, enjoying a brief moment of victory as she successfully got the piece of clothing on properly, and then thinking back about what was just said. "Well, I hope I can be friends with you at least. You seem really nice and fun to talk to! I just don't know about Dave." Was it okay if she used the nickname Rose gave him? She hoped there wasn't a problem with that.

"You only just met him last night you know," The blonde said, opening up a few drawers in search of some shoes. "Sometime you'll have to warm up to each other."

"I know..." The child spoke solemnly. "I just don't know how to feel about him yet. It's hard to think about being with a stranger forever."

"Yeah, I guess it would be... Hey, try these on," Rose produced a pair of shoes, which the other girl took with a soft smile.

"Hey, you said that you and him are seven too. Who's older and who's younger?"

"I was born a little bit before Dave, but he'll never admit to it."

\- - - - - - - -

This life was different, and Jade felt as though she would never truly get used to it. If she would ask a maid or servant about something, they would use fancy words like "milady" and then assist her immediately, even if she said she could do it herself. There was also the nicer clothes she'd been given to wear, the kind a child would get scolded for getting dirty and could only wear on special occasions, but they let her run about in them any day.

Although, she couldn't deny there were some things she could get used to. Rose and her had quickly become friends, and the blonde would show her fun places and then little secrets about those who lived here. For example, there was one tower in the estate with a window seat and lots of books, though Jade had to admit to not being able to read and Rose assuring her that she wasn't so good herself yet. She was also officially introduce to a favorite worker, Jane Crocker. The plump woman was a talented baker, and would always pretend not to notice when the children sneaked away with sweets before dinner.

Jade was coming to love this place, but there was one problem she could only try to avoid, and the said problem avoided her as well. Dave and Jade still didn't know what they thought of each other, and this whole engagement thing was still really weird sounding for someone their age! All they could do was run away, because they didn't know any better when they had no idea how to fix this uneasiness. If anything, they were only getting more and more uncomfortable with each other as time went by, and even with tempting foods they had begun to dread mealtimes when they were both expected to be there.

Time passed like this for a while, until Jade was shown another special thing. Winter was beginning to thaw, and the large gardens outside was slowly beginning to green again. This excited Jade a great deal, and once the sun warmed the air just enough she would run outside to investigate this new place. Anytime a plant began to bud she was thrilled, and couldn't wait for the gardens to bloom into all its beauty.

Once the flowers started opening up she couldn't help herself. Jade started picking them, filling one hand with the pretty little things. 

"There'll be a lot more if you waited, you know," Rose said, simply watching the girl's activity. She realized a little dirt never hurt anyone, but wasn't sure if it was worth being scolded for the dirty dresses later.

"Me and Grandpa would always collect the first spring flowers," Jade explained, paying no mind to the mess she was leaving on her hands and skirts. "We'd put them in a little cup of water, and then when those wilted we would just go pick some more. Of course, those were all wild flowers, but to us they were just as nice as garden flowers."

"I see." Rose blinked, awkwardly smoothing out her dress. "A vase might work better though."

"I guess you're right."

"Jane should know where a vase is, if you want one."

"Yeah, I'll ask her when I'm done."

\- - - - - - - -

She now had the thing she'd been questing for all morning. The vase, which she had thoroughly insisted she could carry by herself, wasn't quite filled to the brim with water, but she was being extra careful none the less. Slowly, she walked, eyes on the ground so she would trip on anything, particularly her own skirt. All she needed to do was make it to her room, where Jade wanted to place the bundle of flowers by the window. It wasn't that far, right?

Although, there was an obstacle she hadn't planned on. A little boy, who seemed to be in a big hurry, came around the corner just as Jade was about to pass by it. Their timing wasn't very lucky, so naturally this ended in a collision.

Unplanned collisions are rarely a graceful occurrence.

The two children found themselves on the ground, water dumped all over their clothes, and flowers scattered across the ground. At first neither child reacted, a little stunned with the sudden interruption. Jade blinked, looking down at her hands as little drops of blood appeared beneath the shards of vase remaining in her hands. Tears began forming in her eyes immediately at the sight, and her gaze was directed straight at Dave, who was simply readjusting his strange glasses.

"...What are you staring at?" The boy huffed as he caught her glare.

"You!" Jade snapped in response.

"What for?"

"What do you mean? You ran into me!" The girl frowned, letting the shards in her palms fall to the ground. "You should say you're sorry at least."

"Why? You ran into _me_ , so its not like its my fault."

"It is you're fault! And I got hurt, see?" She held out the wounds for him to see, because although they weren't any cause for concern, even little things like this were a big deal for someone her age.

"Then maybe you should be more careful next time."

Jade didn't respond right away, just taking in his expression, or the lack of one, and the tone in his voice. He was really not sorry, was he? That piece of information decided, she stood, turned around, and ran for a place to cry.

Dave stood there for a moment, looking down at the mess as the girl ran out of sight. It wasn't until he heard Jane's concerned voice in the distance did he move, dashing the opposite way and offering a single call.

"It wasn't me!"

\- - - - - - - -

It hadn't been an unusual thing for Dave and Jade to avoid eye contact at dinner, but this particular evening Jade sure was making a point of it. 

The girl wasn't even allowing her face to point vaguely in his direction, but Dave didn't seem to care much about it. After all, there were more important things, right? Like this turkey dinner. Turkey dinners are always important.

One participant did not understand just how important it was, and dared to disrupt this sacred union between boy and food. "May I be excused for a moment?"

"You still need to finish your plate, Rose." Her mother said simply with a shrug. 

"I'll be back in time to finish, I promise."

"I certainly don't mind, then." The woman smiled softly, running a finger along the rim of her ever present glass. Her child wasn't one to break a promise, and in all honesty she was secretly proud of it. Well, its a different case for her son of course, but they can't all be perfect.

The girl carefully stepped down from her seat, which was still a little bit high for her height, but she would manage it in her own way until it became more convenient. Feet safely on the ground, she smoothed out her skirt and began to walk. However, there was something she had to collect before she made her preferably brief disappearance. Casually, she strode toward her brother, poking his cheek a few times to catch his attention.

He did ignore it the first couple times, but it seemed the distraction wasn't going to just leave without being addressed. "What do you want, Rose?"

"For you to come with me, that's all."

"I thought we were too old to need each other just to find the bathroom." The boy retorted, "Besides, I wanna eat."

His twin frowned, cheeks growing pink at this comment, but her task remained the same. "I don't mean it like that. Just come."

"I don't want to."

Rose stared for a moment, puffing up one of her cheeks. If words didn't work, she supposed she'd have to reach her goals through a different strategy. Deciding a more physical approach may be more fruitful, she went to her favorite technique: Snatching his shades and making a run for it before he can grab them back. 

"Agh, god damn it Rose, give those back!" The desired reaction was given immediately, in the form of him leaping from his chair to give chase, heedless to the muttered comment about language from the father behind. She always does this, and it made him so mad, mostly because it usually works. When he decided to ignore instead of following, she'd get revenge by hiding the peculiar glasses. Last time, he spent hours trying to find it and even had to beg Rose to retrieve them in the end.

When they were in the hallway, out of earshot of those in the dining hall, the girl stopped her flight to turn around. She didn't need to go any further, this was plenty far enough. With a smug smile, she held the item of interest behind her back.  
"You can't keep doing this, it's not fair," Dave protested, stopping as well, just before his sibling.  
"Nothing's fair, Dave," She laughed, handing the prize back to whom she stole it from. "I just wanted to talk to you, that's all."

"Couldn't it have waited until after dinner?" He huffed, clearly annoyed. Usually, he'd try following their father's example, trying not to let any such thing show on his face, but he knew very well there was no point just then. After all, Rose could see through anything, no matter how hard he tried.

"Not really, because there's something I need you to do after dinner."

"And what's that?"

"Its about Jade."

"Rose, you know I don't want to talk about her. It's weird, okay?"

"Yeah, I know, but I did hear about what happened earlier."

"That wasn't my fault."

"You said that awfully quickly, huh." She sighed. "Who's fault it was doesn't matter though, you made a girl cry and refused to apologize. Don't you feel bad for her?"

"Why are you siding with her so much here, I feel betrayed Rose." The boy crossed his arms, gaze falling to the side. "Why not feel bad for me? I'm getting forced to marry someone too, so it's not like she has it any worse than I do. It's still all 'oh poor Jade' anyway."

"She does have it worse than you, don't be dumb."

"Does not."

"Does too. Your family isn't dead."

There was a long pause. Dave, well, in his indignity over this sudden engagement, had forgotten about that at some point.

"Even without her losing all that a few months ago, it was awfully rude of you. A _real_ man would have at least helped her up."

"Well, what do you want me to do about it now? That was hours ago."

"Just make it up to her somehow. Maybe you could show her your secret place."

Dave processed this suggestion for a moment. Maybe that could get him off the hook, which was good, but something felt off about it.

When did Rose find out about it? God damn, having a twin is the worst, you can't hide anything from them.

\- - - - - - - -

Rose and Dave did return not long after their brief vanishing, and as she had promised, they were able to finish their plates before they were all dismissed from the table.

Jade had no further plans to act upon that particular evening, and figured she may as well just go to bed. Yes, it'd been a long, busy day, and surely get some sleep right away would be good for her in the end.

The girl didn't make it to the bedroom before someone interfered. She stopped walking as someone grabbed her sleeve, and turned to see a certain young boy. She frowned as faced him, seeing no other thing to do, as he wasn't letting go just yet.

"What do you want?"

"Well," Dave started, but trailed off a bit, awkwardly scratching his head with his free hand before continuing, "It's about earlier. Sorry about that."

The girl's frown softened some, and after a minute of silence she shrugged, "Thank you for saying so." 

There was another moment of silence, like both parties were waiting.

"Hey, Dave?"

"Yeah?" He was a little surprised to hear her using his nickname, hell this was probably the first time even saying his name to his face.

"You're still holding my sleeve." She shook her arm a bit for emphasis.

"Oh, right. Well..."

"Yeah?"

"Rose said, I gotta make this up to you, so I wanna show you something." That went a little smoother in his head, and he hadn't planned on his voice slowly fading when he talked. Why was trying to hold a conversation so difficult?

"Show me what?"

"It's a secret, so you can't tell anyone, okay?"

Jade stared at him wordlessly for a moment. She wasn't a big fan of him just yet, but this whole secret thing had piqued her interest. What ever it is, a secret sounded exciting on its own! "Alright, I won't tell anyone."

"You promise you won't?"

"I already said I won't, silly! So yeah, I promise."

"Okay, follow me. I'll take you there."

\- - - - - - - - 

"Dave, it's getting dark, is it okay for us to be out here right now?" She hadn't been expecting the secret to be outside, but here she was, being led through the garden.

"Yeah, it's okay. I can find my way there and back even in the dark."

"I can't see in the dark."

"Then I'll lead you by the hand. Nothing to worry about, okay?"

"I guess so," She huffed, glancing around. The sun was already below the horizon, and the very last rays of light before the night took hold were already fading. Not to mention, it was starting to get chilly too.

"Are you scared?" The boy had hardly been looking at her since they sneaked out, but he paused for a moment to face her.

"No! I'm not scared."

"You're shaking."

"That's because I'm cold." 

"Are you sure? We could make it back now before it get real dark, but turning back will ruin the surprise."

"I'm okay, Dave!" She pouted, not wanting to admit to be a bit nervous. After all, it was too big for her to explore every inch just yet, so who knows where they may end up? "I'm not scared, so just lead the way."

"Alright, I'll do that." Dave said simply, taking a few steps forward.

"Hey, wait."

"Hm?"

"You said you'd hold my hand, right?" Jade asked timidly, glancing around. "You know, because I can't see where we're going."

"Oh," Dave said, slowly backtracking to where the girl stood. He held a hand out to her, "Here."

"...Thanks." She said softly, placing her hand in his. "You can start walking again now."

The boy nodded, started to move again without another word. He was starting to feel pretty awkward and a little bit embarrassed about it, but didn't pull his hand back. Retreating would be more embarrassing, right? He's a man, so he's gotta hold true to his word. 

He's pretty sure his dad said that at some point, and considering his father is the coolest person he knows, it's probably true facts.

Jade was feeling equally embarrassed and awkward about it, but holding someone's hand in the dark made it a little less scary. She could barely see at all now, and as Dave nearly stumbled over a rock, he probably couldn't see too well either. 

He had boasted he didn't need to see in order to reach this place, but it was still getting a little hard to navigate, particularly as he was trying not to make Jade run into anything either. He paused once more, just long enough to pull his weird glasses off and slip them into a pocket. Now that the sun was down, it wasn't like he needed them right now.

As they started walking, Jade could barely see his face in the dim light showering down from the half moon. The glasses were really strange, and she always thought so from the moment she saw them. She'd seen church windows with colored glass, and they were really nice, but seeing it on someone's face looked a little funny. She'd probably ask him about them sometime, but this didn't feel like the right time.

"Oh, Jade?"

"Yeah?" Was that the first time he said her name to her face? Maybe, she didn't really remember. 

"This hill is a little steep and we'll have to climb, but you won't fall."

"Why are we going up the hill and not around it?" Vaguely, she thought she knew which hill was over here, though she couldn't be sure. It looked a little too steep for climbing though, so she wasn't certain about it.

"Because my secret hiding place is up there. We have to go around a bit before we find the right place to start heading up."

"You sure we won't fall?"

"Not unless you're stupid. The easiest way up isn't too hard, its just a little out of the way so you don't see it at first."

"I can't see it anyway right now!" Jade laughed, prompting a few snickers from her companion.

"Alright, it's right here, okay?" He said, stepping upwards. She couldn't see it too well, but that step wasn't much worse than him just going up some stairs.

"Yeah, I think so. Don't let go yet, though."

"Don't worry, I won't. Just start climbing."

It wasn't as convenient as flat ground, but it wasn't too difficult. In fact, just by climbing she was starting to get excited. "Are we there yet?"

"Not yet."

"How about now?"

"Hold your horses, Jade, gosh."

"I can't help it," She giggled.

"Aaaand, we're here," Dave said with satisfaction, helping to pull Jade to the top. "This my secret hiding place. It's pretty sweet, right?"

Jade didn't respond, she was just in aw of what she was seeing. The top of the hill had a few trees around its perimeter, but she still clearly see the view it offered. There were hundreds of stars out, gently sparkling above them. Bellow, they could look down upon the whole garden and even have an excellent view of the mansion, where many lights shone in the windows.

She couldn't wait to see it during the day.

"It's a little better when there's a full moon and no clouds, but it's still pretty cool now, right?"

"Yeah, it is! It's really, really cool."

"So..."

"So what?" Jade tore her eyes away from the sight, to look toward the young boy standing behind her.

"Do you forgive me or what?"

The girl started laughing, just about too hard to speak, so she decided to give the boy a hug as a substitute until she could talk properly.

"Hey, what are you laughing about?" He didn't do something seriously stupid just then, did he?

"Of course I forgive you, stupid!" She laughed, glancing back toward the house. They both knew they should head back now, or they'd likely be in trouble, but they both waited there for a moment instead.

This would be worth getting yelled at for, probably.


	3. Don't Get Caught

The children's little adventure would not end without consequences, and they both knew that all too well as they approached the door into the building. Dave, in a moment of panic because who knows how mad they'll be at them, came up with a very simple plan.

Don't get caught.

If they managed to sneak into their rooms without anyone seeing, surely there wouldn't be any punishment. After all, if they were in bed, nobody could prove they'd done anything wrong.

The door was before them now, but they both hesitated. The cast a glance at each other, and Dave brought a figure to his lips as a signal to be absolutely, completely quiet. When Jade nodded her understanding of the gesture, the boy began inching toward the door. He placed one palm on the wood, his other on the door knock, and started to guide it open, ever so slowly. Once there was an opening just big enough, he nodded toward Jade. The girl stared for a moment, before understanding what he wanted, and she proceeded to slip through the crack. Dave followed just after her, turning around to shut the door behind them.

The door creaked loudly as he did so, making the two panic briefly. Quick glances shot across all angles, but in the end, they were relieved that nobody seemed to be around to hear it.

"Dave, what do we do if somebody sees us?" Jade whispered, trying to calm her nerves. 

"We'll... Well, we don't need to worry about that," Dave frowned, "Because we're not gonna get caught."

"Are you sure?"

"...Yeah."

"You hesitated." 

"Did not."

"Did too!"

"Let's just go, okay," The boy huffed. Arguing wasn't a good idea right now, who knows how loud that would get? In any case, it wouldn't help their situation. "I think our parents would spending time together in their room right now, so we don't have to worry about them. As for servants, they're probably busy cleaning? I mean, there's never a mess anywhere in the morning."

"That doesn't help much though! They could be cleaning anywhere, what if we run into them?" The girl glanced around again, wondering if they would come to clean where they were standing next. 

"Well, not all places get messy though, right? So if we avoid the places that get dirty we should be fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, let's get going."

Slowly, grimacing at each footstep they left behind them, at every moment the floorboards creaked in protest to their presence, the two started their short, yet impossibly long, journey. Their hearts were pounding at their ears as they feebly tried not to think about what would happen if they were caught. 

In the distance, there was laughter. Mother, they recognized, must be enjoying herself. There was another laugh returned the previous, but this one took them a touch longer to place. Father, they realized it must be. Shame he didn't laugh more often, it was a nice sound. 

"What do you think is so funny?" Jade whispered, quietly as she could.

"Shh!" Dave hissed. "Be quiet!"

"I am..." She bit her lip, so much for conversation.

"No, really, be quiet..." They both froze. It was a soft, subtle sound, but it was enough to seriously sent a chill down their spines. Without a moment's delay, their mission of silence was trading off with a need for speed, as the children bolted off in the opposite direction of the footsteps.

The maid whose footsteps were like those of a ghost was a bit puzzled at the noise as they entered the hallway, but they shrugged it off. There was work to be done. 

\- - - - - - - -

They were almost there, so very close, when they got caught. Well, to be fair, they apparently had been found out long before their arrival, there was somebody waiting for them.

Still running, the children had too much momentum to stop when they saw a familiar face ahead of them. They had just turned around the last corner before they reached their bedrooms when they found themselves bumping into Jane's plump body.

"So, finally showing up, huh? Where were you two, anyways?" Her normally pleasant expression was scrunched up in a frown as she gazed down on the two children. One hand grabbed onto Dave's shoulder, and another on Jade's, removing the possibility of them running for a place to hide instead of facing their destiny. "Were you runnin' about outside this late? You've got dirt and mud all over you, both of you."

"I-I'm...I..." Jade was sputtering something, likely an apology. Dave's gaze was fixed on his feet, expression a little too forced to be considered ambiguous. 

"My, my..." Jane sighed, shaking her head. "It's too late to deal with this now, isn't it? Let's get you to bed, but I'll have you know that your parents will be dealing with you in the morning." It was a bit of a relief, but they weren't quite out the woods until after they were forced to speak with the adults. That wasn't something they were looking forward too. "David, can you even see through those glasses anymore? Hand them over, they desperately need a cleaning."

"What? No." The little boy's mouth curved downwards as his hands flew to the side of his spectacles. "I still need them."

"It's night time, David. I'm sure you'll be fine."

"Why are your glasses so weird anyway?" Jade seized the chance to ask, seeing as it was the current topic anyways. They really were quite dark, so she couldn't helped but wonder if it was because they were truly that messy. "Most glasses aren't colored like that."

"Bright lights hurt his eyes, dear," Jane offered up an explanation as she tried to remove the glasses from the boy, who was currently doing his best to bat away her hands. "That's mostly just daylight, though, I believe candles aren't all that difficult to bear."

"They hide my eyes too!" He whined as the object in question was finally snatched from his possession. His arm was quickly positioned to cover that particular section of his face.

"We've told you already, your eyes are fine." From the tone in the maid's voice, it seemed like this was definitely a conversation held many times previously. "Your whole family has unusual eyes, but it's never been a problem."

"They're really weird." Was that a pout? It was. "I don't like them."

"They can't be that bad." Jade said, suddenly very curious about the matter. It was true, the others in this family had oddly colored eyes, but so far he always had those glasses on around her.

"You wouldn't know that, you haven't seen them yet."

"Then show me! I won't think they're weird."

"...You promise?"

"Yes."

Slowly, cautiously, the arm was lowered, revealing scarlet eyes. He waited for a moment, catching her staring gaze, and shifted his face to the side.

"You thought they were weird."

"What? No, I didn't! I think they're pretty cool."

"Alright, alright, you're both cute," Jane gave them each a pat on the head, "But it's time for bed. No more stalling!"

\- - - - - - - -

"So I heard you two went off on an adventure last night, hm?" Pink eyes blinked down at the two children, both nervously just standing there, unsure how this was gonna go. "You know, if somebody's talkin' to ya, it's polite to respond."

"Yeah, we did." Dave answered, shifting his feet. 

"Where'd you go anyway?"

"Just outside." Jade offered, uncomfortably twisting her fingers around each other. "We didn't leave the gardens, honest."

"You do know you shouldn't just sneak off like that, especially after dark. If something were to happen, it'd be hard to get to you guys in time to help."

"We were being careful!" Dave protested. "Nothing was gonna happen anyway."

"Careful or not, it doesn't make it okay, now does it?" The young mother sighed. "And if something was gonna happen, you wouldn't have known. Accidents aren't planned." 

"We're sorry..." The littler girl sniffed, sounding quite miserable about it.

"Alright, it's good you understand." The lady glanced down at her glass, filled with water. Her friend didn't particularly like serving any sort of drink this early in the morning, so it couldn't really be helped. "Next time make sure you tell us first, alright?"

"Roxy!" Jane entered the room just in time for that last comment. "You shouldn't be encouraging this sort of behavior."

"Oh, relax," The blonde laughed. "It's fine, isn't it? They're just kids, let them have some fun."

"What if someone had snuck onto the grounds, what then? Jeez, weren't you worried about them?"

"Of course I was, silly. That's why they had to bring an adult with them from now on."

"What? It's no fun with adults around!" Dave protested.

"That's just how it's gotta be, kiddo. And Janey, if it makes you feel any better, feel free to make them do some chores today to make up for last night."

"Ehhhhh..." Both of the children whined wordlessly in response.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is a time skip forward a few years!


	4. Milk Party

The air was heavy and golden that afternoon, and likely would have been pleasant should there had been a few less layers of fabric layered over the child's body. At first the dresses were lovely, yes, but after two years of wearing them, their inconvenient nature was revealed to the child.

Of course, nine year old Jade wasn't going to let any silly dress stand in her way.

Lifting her skirts just so, she planted her foot on the tree's trunk, small hands groping at the lowest branches. Glancing around once, twice, to confirm nobody was around, she began to ascend. 

Summer was her favorite, and she wasn't interesting in wasting the afternoon inside repeating boring lessons. She was determined to avoid them today, even if it meant hiding all day!

She reached higher, and climbed for a time, until she reached what she deemed a suitable height. The girl took a seat in a cluster of branches, and leaned back, entrusting the tree with her weight.   
It was nice enough, she decided, and relaxed. Her gaze softened, and her eyes were half lidded. Yes, this was very nice...  
"Jade."  
Her eyes snapped open, and she frowned. Was she discovered already?

"Jaaaade." The voice repeated, this time closer.

She sighed, "Rose."

The blonde below looked up, and smirked. "You can't hide forever, you know." 

"You didn't have to find me so quickly, you know..."

"No, you gave yourself away by responding to me. I didn't know you were there."

"So you cheated!"

"It's not cheating if there's no rules," The girl said simply. "Now come down, Miss Jane is waiting for us."

"No!" Jade protested. "History is awfully boring, and I really don't need to know what happened a hundred years ago."

"Jade, it doesn't matter. You'll be expected to know these things someday." The blonde paused. "If we finish up quickly, we might get to go watch Dave."

Jade's cheeks pinked slightly in reaction to the name. 'What's he doing today?"

"Sword practice, I believe."

Quietly, the girl started to descend. When she reached the ground, she smoothed out her skirt and huffed, "What's with that face?"

"You really do have a weakness for him, don't you?" Rose grinned.

"Shut up!"

\- - - - - - - - -

"You broke your stance again, David. That's why you were knocked down so easily."

Most of the children's classes were taught by tutors or employees on the estate, but when it came to Dave's sword lessons, his teacher was none other than his father himself.

"I doubt any stance is gonna help. You're moving too fast!"

"That sounds like something a pussy would say, David. Are you a pussy?"

"Of course I'm not a pussy."

"Language." His father smirked.

Growling, the boy lunged at the man, wooden sword in hand. Before he knew it, one deft movement knocked the training weapon from his hands. Defeated, not for the first nor last time, the child fell to his knees.

"Stand, David. We're not finished yet." 

"God, give me a second," He panted, frowning. To think, he'd been excited when he first heard he was gonna learn how to use a sword, only to be so frustrated by it. Weren't beginners supposed to be lucky? Ugh... 

"You look pathetic, man. Do you really want the girls seeing you like this?"

Dave froze for a second, ears going pink as he saw his sister and... well, Jade, approaching. How much getting his ass handed to him did they see? Quickly, trying to swallow his frustrating, he stood up.

They hadn't been there long, but they saw that last loss at least, that much was clear in the expression Rose was making and the way Jade was laughing.

"Are we done yet?" He turned to his father, who shook his head.

"A bit longer, little guy." The man said quite simply, inspecting his own wooden sword. It wasn't the most comfortable blade to work with, but Jane insisted upon using these instead of the real deal. 

"Dave, you can't quite now," Jade said, putting her small fists on her hips. "We came here because we wanted to watch."

"The ladies seem to want a show, huh?" Father said, striding forward and giving his son a pat on the head. "Ready to give them one?"

Dave hesitated to answer, a little embarrassed. He had a bad feeling about this, but he wasn't sure he could just decline. "...Fine."

"Then get ready." He moved away from his small opponent, pacing until he reached his desired distance. Then, he turned.

The boy took a stance, where his knees were bent slightly, and his feet were apart, but not too much so. He gripped his sword with both hands, even though his father held his own with one, the other hand placed behind his back. Dave watched his father, waiting for him to make a move, all too aware of the spectators.

Then, without a moment's warning, Father moved. He dashed at him, fast, and the boy only had a glimpse of him taking his weapon to the side, and he rushed to swing his own the same way.

They blades barely met, but Dave felt himself stepping backwards, choosing to instead realize his stance was being broken rather than lament over how hard he was swinging against a child. The opposing weapons was thrust again, but he didn't try to parry it this time. Instead, he jumped to the side, thinking to put enough distance between the two of them for him to regain his footing. 

But then he had an idea. By moving, he was able to avoid an attack, it worked. Maybe, if he kept moving, he'd have a better chance. 

Father lunged at him again, and he dashed to the side. Hoping to take him before he could end the current motion, he darted by his side.

The man grabbed him by the collar as he passed, using the hand he had held behind his back. Dave choked a bit as he was roughly pulled back, and winced as wood casually bopped him on the head.

"Nice try kid, but it's my win."He released the boy, and the audience clapped, one member a little more enthusiastic and less sarcastic about it. "Alright, show's over kids. I've gotta get going."

Jade came running over, and Dave groaned. "Whatever you do, don't rub it in."

"Huh? What do you mean? You did great Dave!"

"If you happened to miss it, I lost."

"But it was suuuper cool, I wish I could do that too."

Dave shrugged. "Girls aren't usually supposed to use swords."

"Why not? Are you boys afraid we'll be better than you?"

"Nah," Dave took on a grin. "I could probably beat you pretty quickly."

"Could not!" Jade pouted.

"Could too!"

"Well, I can can catch waaay more frogs than you can."

"You're on."

\- - - - - - - -

Jade had frogs in her pockets. Four frogs, to be exact, and she was working on finding her fifth. Dave only had two, and Rose came in last, as she had none. 

She had gone inside to play on her own, even though Jade had begged her to stay. Frogs didn't seem to be her thing.

"Jade, are you sure there are more? I don't see any anywhere, I'm pretty sure you got them all."

"There were more tadpoles back in spring, so there's gotta be more frogs now."

"Maybe they died."

"Dave we do not speak of cute animals dying!"

"Okay, okay, whatever."

"So long as you understand."

There was a moment of silence before Dave spoke up again. "Hey, Jade?"

"Yeah?"

"Things are gonna be getting pretty busy, aren't they? We've just been having more and more lessons now."

Jade sighed, and didn't mind when one frog escaped from her pocket. "Yeah, I know... I wish we could just play all day every day again."

"Yeah, that'd be cool... but, they're not gonna let us, are they?"

"...There's Sunday, isn't there?" 

"I guess."

"We can run outside on Sundays, and catch frogs, and do whatever. Even if..."

"If...?"

"We can't see each other much during the week."

"Yeah... It'd be great if we were taught the same stuff. Who the heck said a girl can't swing a sword around anyway?"

"Or that boys don't need tea party manners."

"Okay, I would agree there, but tea is gross."

"It is not!" Jade giggled. "You just have to add a lot of sugar and milk."

"Maybe I'll just drink sugary milk and forget the tea part." Dave laughed as well.

"Hm... That might be okay, but wouldn't it be a milk party?" The girl paused. "On Sunday we should do that!"

"Do what?" The boy asked.

"A milk party. It would be like a tea party, but no tea, and no fancy shmancy rules." She beamed.

"No rules sounds good, so does no tea. I can work with this."

"We can invite Rose too."

"Okay, that, I'm not sure about."

"Why not?"

"Rose is likely the most proper kid I know. If there's no rules, she might make her own."

"Pfff, whatever she does, this should be a lot of fun." The child was practically bouncing on her feet with excitement. "Let's do it! You'll come, won't you?"

"Hm, I don't know. I would have to check my schedule first."

"Daaave!"

"Alright, alright. I'll come."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay. I hope to be updating much more often over the summer.


	5. New Faces

It was quite the topic among the servants, particularly with Jane, who'd felt they were a little understaffed as of late, but there was a new family coming to work for the nobles; A young couple and their two children. 

Jade was without a doubt curious about them, despite how busy the eleven year old was. The list of subjects she was made to learn had only grown over the years, and she found some topics she thought rather silly on her plate. Was it really a requirement that she learn to dance perfectly, and did it really matter what spoon she used to eat soup? The answer seemed to be yes, apparently. 

It was hard to really focus on exciting news when loaded with such frivolous activities, so she saved the topic for the one event she found important: the milk party.

The milk party they so came up with a few years back turned into a regular ritual of theirs, where the three children would get together for sweet milk and a far less strict array of rules. They did have a few rules, most of which proposed by Rose, such as vowing not to speak of the party outside its happening, or ringing the side of the glasses before drinking with a spoon. The rules were mostly just silly little things, so they turned into part of the fun.

"What kind of people do you think the new family will be?" Jade said, taking a spoonful of honey to stir into the pure white beverage. "Do you think they'll be nice?"

"I'd assume so," Rose commented, tapping the side of her cup. "It'd be a little hard to get the job if they seemed to be otherwise."

"I don't know about that," Dave said, fulling taking advantage of elbows being allowed on the table during these meetings, "Even complete assholes can put on a kind face if they think it'll benefit them."

"Naturally, you know that from experience," Rose brought the glass to her lips in an over elegant fashion, taking a brief sip, "Do you not?"

"Takes one to know one," The boy grinned.

"Sounds like you'll get along however they are," Jade giggled, ringing her cup briefly after the honey was thoroughly stirred in. "I hope us girls will be able to do the same."

"I imagine we will," Rose set her glass down, folding her hands beneath her chin. "We've got charm enough that they won't be able to resist us, even if they're both ladies themselves."

"They're both girls? All I heard was two kids were coming with them." The green eyed child blinked, sampling her own drink. Ah, after enough of these parties she had come to find that a spoonful of honey was certainly her most favorite way to prepare the milk.

"And thus Dave remains the only boy around, perfectly surrounded," David mused, leaning back on his chair. Upon hearing his betrothed laugh, he continued upon this comment. "My masculinity is gonna be snuffed out like a candle in the middle of winter before you know it. Forget sword fighting, I gotta start working on how to curtsy like royalty. It's official, I am the princess, the princess is me."

"Then I'll have to step up and become the prince," Jade smiled. It was sometimes still a little awkward referencing their relationship, but they'd _mostly_ gotten used to it by now. Sometimes they've been able to have a great laughing fit over it, too.

"Nah, Rose is probably gonna be the noble prince. You gotta be the knight in shining armor, Jade. Embrace your destiny, and go pick up a sword. Rose is gonna summon a dragon any minute to kidnap me."

"I have said dragon scheduled for next week," Lavender eyes grinned, "Better get ready, he may be hungry."

"Who needs a sword? I'll just arrange for a huge feast to distract him while I sneak in to rescue Dave!"

"And what if he finishes the feast before you escape with Dave? After all, he's starving as it is."

"Then I'll sell him my shiny fancy armor, and while he's distracted by the new treasure, we'll make a run for it."

"Glad to see my life is in able hands. Rose, get ready to summon a hoard of goblins after the dragon affair, I wanna see what she does."

"Why do you always assume I can summon magical creatures?" The sister raised an eyebrow.

"You just have a sorta magical and mysterious aura, Rose," Jade offered. "If anyone can do it, it'd be you."

"While I'm neither going to prove or disprove this theory, magic is usually frowned upon."

"Probably because they want to avoid having people kidnapped by dragons," Dave shrugged. "Or having goblin armies flood the city. It'd be rather inconvenient to have your every day life interrupted by smelly little toad men."

"I thought goblins were more like rats," Jade said just as she finished her cup.

"They're not exactly animal like as far as I know, they're a species of their own." 

"And that's why we think you're magical, you know way more about these things than me and Jade."

"My information comes from the books, not from experience. If you read more, you may find something I don't know."

"I tried to read like you did before," Jade huffed, setting down the empty glass. "It was too hard though."

"You have glasses now, Jade. It should be easier now if you're still interested. I know a few titles you may enjoy."

"Hm... Maybe sometime."

\- - - - - - - -

When the new servants arrived, it was the older servants' job to welcome them in and get them a little oriented with the place, but that didn't stop the three kids from snooping around as they came inside. They were far too curious about the newbies to pass up this chance, and as their tutors were part of the warm welcome, they had no real reason not to.

As Rose predicted, the children were both girls. The two of them bore some family related similarities, such as their gingery orange hair and distinct eyebrows. However, the way they behaved was completely different. 

The elder, whose name they believed to be Latula, was looking around and asking a lot of questions about what kind of work they'd be expected to do. She seemed to be about business, although she seemed to be getting rather friendly with one of the other male servants. 

The younger, who had an equally unusual name, Terezi, seemed a little like focused on work and more exploring the new environment. She wasn't really using her eyes to do so, and the just about teal colored orbs remained oddly unfocused. Instead, she was touched and, well, sniffing just about anything she could.

Despite her apparently blindness, she was obviously aware of their presence. Every now and then she would point her face straight toward them, and cast a strange smile their way. It was odd, maybe a little unnerving how well she found them even though they were trying their absolute best to be quiet, but an interesting thing to watch.

\- - - - - - - -

Over the next few days, they would find out just how clear the sisters' differences were, as Latula set to work and Terezi chose to do as she pleased when nobody was telling her to do things. 

She was a mischievous character, and her favorite target seemed to be Dave. 

At first he ignored her, unsure how exactly he was supposed to respond to a blind girl stalking him as he went about his day. Even if she was good at figuring out if someone was following _her_ , she didn't really hide her own rogue like actions well. Every now and then, when he'd least expect it, he'd hear cackling behind him. At first his method of dealing with it was to ignore the girl, but he decided to just confront her on the matter.

He walked down the hallway at leisurely pace, keeping his shaded eyes fixed on what's ahead. Before long, he started hearing the familiar signs of a certain stalker following him from behind. There was muffled, nasally giggling drifting from around the corners behind him. 

Good. He had her attention. 

He continued walking, pausing now and then to pretend to being doing something, such as retying his boots, so he could make sure she was still there. Satisfied the servant was still on his trail, he would move on toward his destination.  
When he reached the study, which to his knowledge was usually empty this time of day, he slipped to the side so he couldn't be seen from outside the room, so that in order to find out what he was up to, one would have to at least reach the doorway.

So he waited, letting the footsteps grow closer...

...And then he pulled the girl into the room and shut the door.

"What do you even want?" He frowned, crossing his arms. "You've been laughing like an idiot around me since you got here. What's your deal?"

"You know, Dave, if people heard you dragged young, innocent girls into rooms to do who knows what, it'd be quite the scandal." The girl was smirking like hell.

"Innocent my ass, you're up to no good, aren't you?" 

"What gives you that idea, hm?" The girl purred, prancing across the room. God, it's a miracle she hasn't run into anything yet. Or at least, if she had, she did a damn good job hiding the evidence. "It's not wise to be throwing out such extreme accusations."

The boy sighed, deeply. "Look, if there's something you need, you could just say something instead of going around all creepy like."

"Is it really that creepy?" She asked, though her tone of voice seemed to indicate she knew all too well how it was. "Gosh, I didn't know you were spooked so easily, _Master David_."

Something about how she said that riled him up a little inside. Most servants did address him with that title, but coming from someone who never acted the list bit like a servant it sound just plain wrong.

"Don't do that."

"Do what?"

"Call me that. Just "Dave" is enough."

"Don't you think that's a little informal? Makes us sound like our relationship is friendship instead of work." 

"Yeah, so be it."

"Is that an invitation?"

"Eh? For what?"

"Friendship, stupid." 

The boy paused, but shrugged. "I guess. Just don't go sneaking around anymore, would ya?"

"You know, Dave," She smirked as she said the name, practically sealing the deal as she did so, "You sound pretty informal yourself."

"I may not be allowed to talk like this in public, but what's the harm in relaxing at home?" The boy huffed.

"You're a lot more fun that way, though."

"Hm?"

"It gets _really_ boring listening to people who have to act perfect all the time. That's why you're rather refreshing, Dave." 

He was started to wonder if he was gonna regret giving her permission to say that word now, but it was too late now. "Yeah, well, on that note, I could use some refreshments. Why don't you go get some?"

"Why don't you do it yourself?"

Dave wasn't sure how to respond at this point, so he didn't. He just let the girl waltz out of the room, feeling she had the upper hand at this point. 

\- - - - - - - -

"You know you wouldn't get away with doing this anywhere else, right? If we weren't all so fucking forgiving, you'd be gone by now."

"Yes, yes, Dave. That's why this place is so much fun." Terezi had been there for a month then, and she had been using every inch of room to do as she pleased that was gained from becoming friends with someone she was supposed to serve. "Come on, let's go again."

"What if I don't feel like it?"

"Then you're a silly little wimp afraid they're gonna lose to a blind girl- _Again._ "

The boy laughed, already growing used to her throwing her place out the window, "Alright, fine. But I was going easy on you, okay?" The words were actually half true, as he wasn't putting much effort into the activity, not seeing the point. That was, of course, until he suddenly lost faster than planned.

"As if," Terezi laughed, holding out the wooden sword, taking a clumsy stance.

"Ready?" Dave held out his own wooden sword. He'd started using a real sword already, but he wasn't feeling comfortable sparring with the edge against a newbie. 

"Only if you are," The girl said, putting on an air of focus, foolish face growing serious. 

"Then go," Dave said, charging, hoping to take her out quickly. It probably wasn't quite fair, considering she was blind, but that didn't mean he was-

Wait, did she block that? She did. Wood had met wood, and she wasn't so much as pushed back an inch. The boy stepped back, a little surprised. He had underestimated how quickly she gathered information from around her without using her eyes.   
He took another tactic, this time trying to use stealth. If she heard him coming, then he figured being quiet would work better this time. At first, her blank gaze followed him, but as he went slower, she seemed to stop knowing where he was.  
Slowly, ever so slowly, he circled around so he was to her back. He raised the sword up, trying to judge how much force is appropriate to hit a girl with, and stalked closer. 

When he was finally close into to strike, the girl whipped around, hitting him across the stomach. Stunned, he fell backwards, and Terezi put the tip of the sword to his throat. 

"Did you honestly think that you could sneak up on me? No offence Dave, but you stink. Literally."

"Okay, you got me." As the wood was pulled away from him, he took a sniff at his arm pit. He didn't smell that bad, did he?

"Yeah. Now get up, I wanna go again."

"What, already?" He raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised that she hadn't lost interest yet.

"Yes already!" She removed one hand from the hilt to place it on her hip. "This is the most fun I've had in ages, so it's not over yet."

"Sometimes I wonder who the boss really is here..." Dave sighed, slowly rising to his feet. "This is the last time, okay? Winner take all."

"You're only saying that because the most you're gonna get is two points against one," Terezi laughed, "But very well. Whoever wins this one wins all of them... At least, for today."

"Ready," Dave gripped the sword, holding it in front of him.

"Set," He could have sworn she was starring straight at him.

"Go!" 

The boy leaped forward, striking fast. The girl blocked it, but he was expecting that this time. While her sword was still against his, he spun around and ducked so as soon as her blade was suddenly allowed movement, it went over his head. His own freed blade was spinning with him, and made contact with her side, knocking her over.

She lifted her arm, thinking to use her sword, but there was wood against the flesh of her neck before she got it anywhere. 

"I win this one."

"No shit, Sherlock."

"Who's that?"

"I don't know, ask Rose."


End file.
